


There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in

by 4thofFive



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-10 01:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3272075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4thofFive/pseuds/4thofFive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rachel and Stan are killed in a car accident, Danny fights for custody of Charles - with Steve's love and support.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song Anthem by Leonard Cohen.
> 
> I'm breaking my own rule by posting this before the story is finished but I'm hoping it will give me the kick in the ass needed to actually get this done.

The call came just after 7:30 on a Tuesday morning. Steve had been at his desk trying to take the requisite amount of interest in the paperwork that had piled up on his desk, and plotting how he and the team could leave early that afternoon.

Steve recognized Duke’s cell number as soon as it popped up on his phone.

“Hey Duke. You’re hitting the ground running today, huh?” Steve joked with a grin on his face. “Why can’t the criminal element wait to start work at 10 and take pity on us?”

“Steve.” 

Something in the sound of Duke’s voice made Steve’s heart stutter in his chest and sit up with a jolt.

“Duke? What is it?”

“Steve, there’s been an accident, a bad one on the H1. One of the car’s involved is registered to Stanley Edwards. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards…they haven’t been formally identified, but I recognized them and, I’m sorry, they’re both dead at the scene. I thought it might be easier for Danny to hear it from you.”

“Oh god,” Steve whispered laying his hand over his eyes. A horrifying thought hit him and he clutched the phone in a white-knuckle grip.

“Grace? Charles?”

“The baby was in his car seat and appears unhurt, thank God. Grace wasn’t in the car. The accident was only a few blocks from her school so they must have just dropped her off. I had an officer check with the school and she’s there.”

“Oh, thank God,” Steve gusted out. He and the rest of the team adored Danny’s daughter and would be devastated if she died, but he knew for certain losing Grace would kill Danny.

“Where is Charles now?”

“The paramedics took him to the hospital for a complete check over. Do you know if he has any family here on Oahu?”

Steve glanced over to Danny’s office where his partner was typing diligently on his keyboard, blissfully unaware that his life was about to be turned upside down.

“No, there’s no one nearby. I’m sure Danny will take him until we can figure something else out.”

There was a long pause on the phone as Duke obviously considered that.

“Steve, I have to call Child Services. They will probably agree to Danny taking care of Charles temporarily but since both parents are dead, long-term arrangements will have to be made.”

Steve sighed heavily as he stood up to begin walking towards Danny’s office.

“I know, Duke, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now I need to take care of Danny. I’ll call you later, ok?”

Steve pressed the end call button and shoved his phone into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. He walked heavily across the bull pen and pushed open the glass door of Danny’s office. The blond detective looked up briefly then back at his keyboard.

“Whatever it is Super SEAL the answer is no. I’m on a roll here and I’m not going to go out and blow something up with you.”

“Danny,” Steve said gently as he perched on the edge of one of the guest chairs across from his partner’s desk. “Buddy there’s been a bad car accident on the H1. It was…Rachel and Stan. They’ve been…they’ve been killed, babe.”

Danny’s face blanched and his fingers slid off the keyboard, his hands dropping to dangle weakly at his sides.

“My…my baby?” he gasped.

“Grace was not with them,” Steve hurried to add. “And Charles was in his car seat and was not hurt. They are ok, Danny.”

As Steve watched Danny seemed to lose the strength in his body and he folded in half resting his head on his desk letting out a chocked sob. Steve leapt to his feet and hurried around the desk to grab Danny by the shoulders and pull him upright. He bent low and wrapped his arms tightly around Danny.

“I’m sorry, buddy. I’m so sorry.”

Steve could feel Danny cold and shivering, his breath coming in gasps.

“G-Grace…you’re sure?”

“She’s in school, Danno. Duke checked. She’s ok,” Steve replied promptly pulling back slightly to look in Danny’s eyes. “We’ll go get her, ok? Then we’ll pick up Charles and take them both back to your place.”

Danny took in a deep, shaky breath and then seemed to force strength back into his body. He nodded firmly.

“Yeah…yeah we have to get them.” Danny stood and grabbed his keys and wallet from his desk before seeming to freeze in place. He looked up at Steve with wet eyes.

“What am I going to…how do I tell her, Steve?”

Steve licked his lips nervously and his mind flashed unbidden back to that July day when he was 16 and an HPD patrolman knocked on his parents’ door.

“You’ll find a way, babe. OK? There’s no right way to say this. You’ll find the words.”

**********  
The school had put Danny in the nurse’s office to give him some privacy while he told his daughter the news that would leave her life in tatters. The detective paced the small office as he waited for his baby girl to be brought to him. Steve had dropped him at the school then driven to the accident site to ensure Rachel and Stan’s bodies would be safely transported to Max’s morgue. He would return to pick Danny and Grace up in a half hour.

Danny spun on his heel when the door opened and Grace was ushered inside by the school Principal Mrs. Oh before the older woman stepped out again and shut the door firmly.

“Danno?” Grace asked in confusion. “Is everything ok? Is Uncle Steve ok? Or Kono or Chin?”

Danny gave his daughter a weak smile before walking over to her and putting an arm behind her shoulders and steering her to a nearby set of chairs. He sat down beside her and took her two hands into his.

“Yes, Monkey, they’re fine. It’s not…” Danny swallowed spasmodically then took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Sweetie, I wish I didn’t have to tell you this. And I’m so sorry to say that Mommy and Stan were in a car accident a few blocks from here and…baby…they’ve both died.”

The colour drained from Grace’s face. She stared at her father in horror for a moment obviously struggling to understand his words.

“I don’t…what? What are you saying?”

Danny gripped his daughter’s hands tighter. 

“Baby, Mommy was killed along with Stan. They didn’t suffer at all, I promise you. Charles was in the back seat and he wasn’t injured. They’re keeping him at the hospital until you and I can come.”

Grace began to slowly shake her head back and forth, her chin beginning to quiver.

“No. You’re wrong. It’s not Mommy and Stan, it’s someone else. How do you know it was Mommy and Stan? Did you see them?”

“Sergeant Lukela saw them, sweetie. He knows both of them and he identified them. It was Stan’s Mercedes.”

Grace pressed her lips together tightly as she struggled not to cry. She wrenched her hands from Danny’s grip and wrapped them protectively around herself.

“No, Danno! You’re wrong. You have to be wrong. Mommy’s not dead. She wouldn’t do that to me.” Grace’s voice grew louder and louder until she was shouting. Tears were now streaming down her face. “She wouldn’t die. Charles is just a baby. He needs her. She wouldn’t just leave us.”

Danny stood from his chair and knelt down on the floor in front of his daughter and pulled her struggling into his arms. He began to rock her gently as she started to sob.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Danny whispered brokenly. “I’m so sorry. Mommy loved you so much and she wouldn’t have wanted to leave you. But you’re not alone baby. You have me and Nana and Pop and you have Steve and Kono and Chin and Lou. You have so many people who love you, and we’re all going to take care of you. You won’t be alone. OK?”

“Mommy! Mommy!” Grace wailed as she sagged bonelessly against her father. Although she was now tall and too heavy to be picked up easily, Danny did pick her up and sat down in the chair bundling her into his lap. He allowed his own tears to fall as his baby sobbed against his chest.

**********

Steve stood holding Grace tightly in his arms as Danny went to the admissions desk at Queen’s Medical Center. Grace had stopped crying several minutes ago and was now mute and seemed unaware of her surroundings. She had clung to Danny in the car like he was her lifeline, but had allowed herself to be transferred to Steve’s arms when they entered the hospital.

“Can I help you?” a perky admissions desk clerk asked Danny, a big smile on her face.

“Yes, I’m looking for Charles Edwards, two years old. He was brought in after a car accident.”

The young woman’s smile faded and she began typing into her computer.

“Oh, how terrible. Are you his father?”

Danny licked his lips nervously.

“No I’m…his father was killed in the accident as well as his mother. I’m a family friend and my daughter…” Danny gestured over his shoulder to a silent and pale Grace hanging limply in Steve’s arms. “…is his sister.”

The clerk looked up at him warily for a moment before picking up the receiver of her desk phone. 

“OK. I’ll have to call someone from hospital administration. I can’t really let you see the little boy without their permission since you’re not a member of the family.”

Danny opened his mouth to argue but shut it again. There was no point in arguing with this woman who didn’t set the rules and was just following hospital policy – a policy he agreed with although it kept him from providing comfort to his ex-wife’s child.

The three hovered anxiously in the waiting room for about 10 minutes until a younger man in a slightly ill-fitting suit hurried out of a nearby elevator and went over to the desk and conferred quietly with the clerk who pointed Danny out. The young man came over to Danny who met him half way. 

“Donald Frieson,” announced the young man, putting out his hand for Danny to shake. “I’m one of the deputy administrators of the hospital.”

“Detective Danny Williams,” Danny nodded to Steve who stood beside him still holding a silent Grace. “My partner Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett and my daughter Grace.”

“I understand you are here to see the patient Charles Edwards?”

“Yes…look I know this is unusual but Charles is my ex-wife’s child and my daughter’s half-brother. He doesn’t have any other family here on the island so I’d like to see him and take him home if I can until we can figure out what arrangements Rachel, his mother, made for his care.”

The young man nodded slowly and rubbed a hand across his chin.

“I can take you to see him, particularly because his sister is here, but I can’t release him to your custody. Only Child Welfare Services can do that.”

“Have they been notified?” asked Steve.

“Yes, sir. They’re with him now. You can discuss the situation with them. If you’ll follow me?”

The young administrator led Danny, Steve and Grace down a long hallway and through a set of double doors before arriving at an internal elevator. The four people rode the car to the third floor and the children’s wing of the hospital. After conferring with a nurse at the front desk for a moment, Frieson led the small group to a room about three doors away. Frieson pushed open the door softly then stepped back to let Danny, Steve and Grace enter the room. Charles was curled up on a bed clutching a stuffed animal, obviously unhurt, but sniffling softly while an older woman the two partners recognized as being from Child Welfare Services, stood beside the bed rubbing his back.

The little boy looked up at the new people coming into the room and his eyes widened in joy.

“Uncle Danno! Gwace!” he cried out lifting his arms to be picked up. 

The sound of her brother’s voice seemed to snap Grace out of her fugue and she wiggled to be let out of Steve’s arms. The moment he put her down on the floor, she ran to the bed and scrambled up on to it and pulled her little brother tight against her body.

“Charlie, Charlie,” she soothed softly as the little boy began to cry. “It’s ok. I’m here. Gracie is here.”

The woman who had been caring for Charles walked over to Steve and Danny and shook their hands.

“Commander, Detective. I hadn’t realized you’d be here. Is this part of an investigation?”

Steve quickly explained the situation to the woman who gave Danny a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Detective. What a terrible tragedy.”

Danny blinked rapidly and nodded.

“Yes. Thank you. Mrs. Ahulani, I’m hoping to be granted temporary guardianship of Charles until we know what arrangements my ex-wife had made for him in the event of her…her death.”

The older Hawaiian woman nodded slowly then gave the detective a small smile.

“I think that would be the best outcome for now rather than Charles going to a foster family. I’ll go and call a judge and see if we can have a decision made right away. Charles needs to get out of this hospital.”

As Mrs. Ahulani left the room Danny turned to watch over Grace and Charles. The two children were lying on the bed leaning against the headboard. Charles was draped across his sister who held him tightly in her arms. Occasionally the little boy would sniffle and call for his mommy, but Grace continued to whisper soothing words to him. Danny felt rather than saw Steve come and stand close beside him.

“She’s amazing,” Steve whispered reverently. “She lost her mom too and she’s still able to comfort her little brother.”

Danny gave his beloved daughter a small, watery smile.

“She’s always been a wonderful big sister.”

The two men stood quietly for a moment until Steve wrapped his arm around his partner and pulled him close.

“How are you doing, babe?”

Danny slumped against Steve and buried his face in his friend’s chest, his hand clutching Steve’s shirt at the back. He swallowed hard several times determined not to break down in front of the children.

“I just…I can’t believe she’s gone. I loved her at one time. I cared about her. Even though I was angry at her for so long she’s the mother of my child. If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have Grace in my life.”

Steve tipped his head and rested his cheek on the top of Danny’s head.

“We’re all grateful to her for that. You may not have been married to her anymore but you still cared about her and you’ve lost a good friend.”

Danny let out a shaky sigh.

“I’m scared, Steve. Scared about how I’ll get Grace through this and scared about what will happen to Charlie. What if whoever takes him doesn’t allow Grace to see him anymore?”

Steve rubbed his hand up and down Danny’s bicep.

“That’s not going to happen, Danno. I’m sure Rachel would have insisted that whoever takes Charlie has to be sure to allow Grace to visit and speak with him regularly.”

Danny nodded against Steve’s shirt then straightened up and gave his partner a grateful smile.

“At least Grace has her Uncle Steve and the rest of her Ohana here to help her.”

Steve smiled down at his partner fondly, his arm still wrapped tightly around the smaller man.

“We’re here for both of you. Don’t forget that. You don’t have to carry this all on your own.”

**********

Danny unlocked the front door of his home and pushed it open so Grace could enter the house. He carried Charlie into the living room and set the little boy down on the couch while Grace hurried into the kitchen to get her brother a glass of water. 

Mrs. Ahulani had found a judge to grant temporary guardianship to Danny, and they’d finally been able to take Charles from the hospital. Steve was going to the Edward’s house to get the two children what they might need for a couple of days. Eventually the entire Ohana would go back there to pack up Grace’s belongings, but the time for that was days away.

Danny knelt down in front of the traumatized little boy and took one of Charlie’s little feet in each of his hands and gave them a squeeze.

“Uncle Danno? Where mommy? I want mommy and daddy.”

Danny took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Charlie, Mommy and Daddy got hurt in the accident and they’re…they’ve gone to heaven.”

Danny personally didn’t believe in heaven, but Stan and Rachel were raising Charles in the Catholic faith and he would respect that.

Charles shook his head firmly and pounded a little fist down on the couch cushion.

“No. I want mommy come home. I want mommy!”

Charles burst into wailing sobs and Danny pulled the little boy into his arms trying to comfort him. He was so grateful that Rachel and Stan had allowed him to take Charlie out with Grace sometimes so that the little boy had had a chance to get to know him. God knows how terrified the little guy would be if he had no idea who Danny was.

Grace came out of the kitchen bearing a glass of water and two oatmeal cookies. She stopped short when she saw Danno cuddling a distraught Charlie. The sight of her brother sobbing so helplessly sent a wave of sadness washing over the little girl and she stood in the middle of the living room, tears coursing down her face. Danny turned to see her and held out an arm so that she could join the hug. Grace put down the water and cookies and ran into the comfort of her father’s arms. As the two children cried loudly against Danny’s chest the detective couldn’t help wondering again how he would get them through this and what kind of impact their mother and Stan’s deaths would have on their lives. He could only hope he was equal to the challenge that the next days and weeks would bring.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Steve shifted the bag of groceries from one arm to the other and used his key to unlock Danny’s front door and enter the small, neatly kept house. All was quiet and Steve hoped he wouldn’t disturb the small family as he prepared breakfast.

He’d returned to the house the previous evening with a bag of Charlie’s clothes along with a blanket and some stuffed animals. After coaxing Danny and the children to eat, he’d helped Danny put the two kids to bed and sat with his partner for a while until the smaller man’s head began lolling from exhaustion. Steve had wanted to stay and keep watch, but Danny had insisted that he go home and sleep comfortably in his own bed.

Steve entered the kitchen and began unpacking the eggs, cereal, milk and juice. He didn’t know what Charlie liked to have for breakfast, but he figured most kids ate cereal and maybe scrambled eggs.

Steve turned at the sound of one of the floor boards squeaking and a disheveled, exhausted-looking Danny shuffled into the kitchen.

“Hey. What are you doing here so early?” Danny asked, scratching his hand through his messy hair.

“Thought I’d make breakfast and help out as much as I can today. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll get the coffee on.”

Danny leaned one hip against the counter and smiled up at his best friend gratefully.

“You’re the best, babe. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Steve stepped over to Danny and wrapped his arms around his friend.

“Anything you need, Danno. You know that. Anything, anytime, anywhere.”

Danny clung to Steve burying his face in his partner’s shirt and struggling to contain his emotions. Steve seemed to understand the battle Danny was experiencing and was in no hurry to end the hug. He ran one hand up and down Danny’s back.

“It’s gonna be ok, babe. Chin, Kono, Lou and I will be with you every step of the way. We’ll do everything we can to help, you know that.”

“I know,” Danny choked, still fighting back tears. “I know you will.”

“Did you sleep at all?”

Danny, still wrapped in Steve’s arms, shrugged slightly. 

“I-I don’t think so. Charlie woke up a few times and so did Grace and then I just…memories of Rachel and…”

Danny’s voice faded away and Steve pulled back slightly to look in his best friend’s eyes.

“Well that settles it. I’m staying here tonight and every night until you don’t need me anymore.”

“Steve…” Danny began to protest weakly. To be honest, that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

“No, Danno. You can’t do this by yourself. I’m your partner, I will be here to help you take care of things.”

Danny smiled softly.

“I think this goes above and beyond any police department’s definition of partner.”

Steve flushed slightly and dropped his eyes to the floor.

“Well, maybe, but…”

Both men froze as Charlie’s terror-filled voice ripped through the silence of the house.

“Mommy!” 

,

The two men pulled apart and without a word turned and ran down the hall towards Grace’s room where Charlie had spent the night locked in his sister’s arms.

Danny threw open the door to find a sobbing Charlie being rocked by his sister who sat cross-legged in the bed, her little brother in her lap.

Grace looked up at the two men in grief and desperation.

“I can’t make him stop,” she cried. 

Danny and Steve both rushed to the bed. Danny took Charlie in his arms and stepped away bouncing the little boy gently and murmuring soothing words while Steve sat down on the bed gathering Grace into his arms and did the same thing. While both children sobbed pitifully, Steve and Danny’s eyes met with a shared feeling of helplessness and frustration. The two men were used to solving people’s problems and putting things right, but this was one thing that could never be put right.

“Hey,” Danny said to a wet faced, still sniffling Charlie after a few minutes. “Uncle Steve is going to make us some breakfast. Are you hungry? What do you like to eat?”

Charlie hiccuped and shuddered as his tears began to slow.

“I l-like c-cereal and p-pop tarts.”

Danny gave the little boy a small smile and nodded his head encouragingly.

“That’s good because we have both. You can have both of those things, and maybe some scrambled eggs too. How does that sound?”

Charlie nodded and let out a heaving breath before tucking his face against Danny’s neck.

“Ok. I’m hungry.”

“I’ll bet you are,” replied Danny, glancing over to the bed where Grace sat slumped in Steve’s lap, her face pressed against his now wet tee-shirt. 

“What do you say, babe? Ready to start breakfast?”

Steve gave Danny a forced smile as he used one hand to smooth Grace’s hair off her face. 

“Absolutely. How about it Gracie? Feel like eating?”

Grace swallowed hard and sat up. She shook her head.

“I’m not very hungry.”

Steve kept his hand on the young girl’s back and rubbed it in slow circles.

“Well, how about coming down to help me anyway? You know I’m kind of useless in the kitchen. Danno can get Charlie ready while you and I make breakfast. Ok?”

Grace sighed heavily. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over her head and wait for this horrible nightmare to end. But she knew she had to keep trying, for Charlie’s sake, and even for Danno.

“Ok, Uncle Steve. I need to go to the bathroom first and then I’ll come and help.”

Steve smiled proudly at his honourary niece and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead.

“Thanks, sweetie.”

**********

Steve handed Mrs. Ahulani a cup of coffee then moved over to the sofa to sit down next to Danny. When the Child Welfare Services worker phoned asking to see Danny, Steve had called Chin and Kono who had come over and were now out in the yard playing with the children keeping them distracted. 

“The judge has seen the wills of both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards,” began Mrs. Ahulani coming straight to the point. “Of course Grace is yours, Mr. Williams. There’s no worry about that.”

Danny sighed and relaxed slightly. He was certain Rachel wouldn’t write anything into her will that would jeopardize his custody of Grace, but it was good to hear that spelled out.

“As to Charles,” Mrs. Ahulani continued, putting her coffee mug down on a nearby table. “Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have stated that Mr. Edwards' brother Allan is to be Charlie’s guardian.”

Danny blew out a breath and glanced at Steve before looking back at Mrs. Ahulani.

“And where does he live?”

“Pittsburgh.”

Danny rubbed his hands over his face and slumped back on the couch.

“Damn. I was hoping it would be somewhere closer so Grace could visit more easily.”

Steve reached over and squeezed Danny’s shoulder.

“At least it’s not too far from New Jersey. Any time you’re there you can go and visit him.”

Danny nodded and gave Steve a weak smile.

“Yeah, I guess there’s that.” He looked back at Mrs. Ahulani. “When does he have to go?”

“We haven’t been able to get hold of Mr. Edwards as yet. Apparently he and his wife are on a short vacation and won’t be back in town until tomorrow.”

“Do they have any children?”

Mrs. Ahulani shook her head lightly.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so.”

Danny slumped lower in his seat. He dreaded the moment when Grace and Charlie had to be separated.

“What about…the funeral? Who takes charge of that?”

“That’s also the responsibility of Mr. Allan Edwards; however, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have asked to be buried here on Oahu, so Mr. Edwards will have to fly here to make those arrangements. He’ll also have to come and pick up Charles. We will only turn him over to the legal guardian.”

Danny looked over at Steve sadly.

“So we have a couple more days maybe.”

Steve gave his partner an encouraging smile. 

“That’s right. Hopefully that will give us time to explain to Charlie what’s going to happen.”

Danny rubbed a fist over his mouth and shook his head. He had to blink rapidly to fight back the threatening tears.

“How do you explain to a two-year-old that his life is going to be torn apart more than it is now?”

Steve opened his mouth then closed it immediately. He had no more answers than Danny did.

Danny shifted nervously in his seat and looked over at Mrs. Ahulani with tear bright eyes.

“I know this is probably…I’m sure the court won’t…” Danny cleared his throat and began again. “Is there any way that the court would…let me adopt Charlie?”

Mrs. Ahulani’s eyes widened in surprise then a sympathetic look crossed her face and that gave Danny the answer even before she spoke.

“I’m afraid not, Detective Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards’s wishes must be adhered to. Unless Mr. Edwards is found to be unfit, the court won’t go against the wishes of the child’s mother and father.”

Danny nodded sadly and Steve squeezed his partner’s shoulder sympathetically. Mrs. Ahulani sat forward in her seat as if anxious to change the subject.

“I should tell you, Mr. Williams, that Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have made some provisions for Grace that should take some of the financial weight off you. They’ve left money to help pay for her private school, and they’ve set up a trust she can begin drawing on when she’s 19. It should be enough to pay for university if she decides to go and leave her some to buy a home or travel as well.”

Danny’s face hardened and he look slightly offended.

“I’m more than capable of taking care of my daughter. I don’t need a hand out.”

“Danny…” Steve cautioned.

Mrs. Ahulani smiled brightly, obviously not taking offence.

“Of course you are. There’s been no question of that. It’s just that Mr. and Mrs. Edwards wanted to maintain their part of the support of her after they’d passed. I’m sure you’ve made provisions for Grace in your will as well. It’s what parents do.”

Danny flushed and looked away. He’s spent so many years playing second fiddle to Stan’s millions that he was immediately defensive about his ability to raise his daughter properly. He met Mrs. Ahulani’s eyes again and gave her a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Ahulani. I didn’t mean to be rude or sound ungrateful. I’m glad they’ve left money for Grace. It’ll help a lot.”

Mrs. Ahulani stood and the boys climbed to their feet as well.

“I need to get back to the office but I’ll contact you as soon as I’ve heard from Mr. Allan Edwards and we have a few details nailed down.”

Danny reached over to take Mrs. Ahulani’s hand.

“Thank you, for everything. I’m grateful to you for helping me keep Charlie during this time. It’s been important for both Charlie and Grace.”

Mrs. Ahulani smiled and held his hand with both of hers.

“I’m glad I was able to help in any small way. We’ll try to make this as painless as possible for Charles and Grace. We’ll get through it.”

Steve ushered Mrs. Ahulani to the door then immediately returned to Danny’s side and slung an arm over his shoulders.

“She’s right, babe. Somehow we’ll get through this.”

Danny nodded slowly.

“I know, it’s just…Grace has lost her mom and step-dad and now she has to give up her brother too. It’s all so unfair. I’m worried I won’t be able to help her deal with it.”

Steve used the tips of his fingers to lift Danny’s chin and make the smaller man look up at him. He looked down unflinchingly into his partner’s eyes.

“You will, Danno. You’re an amazing father. And you’re not alone. Don’t forget that.”

Danny gave Steve a soft smile as the two stood staring at each other for a long moment, Steve’s fingers still soft and gentle on Danny’s chin. Danny’s eyes slowly drifted down to Steve’s lips as the SEAL’s tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. Steve swallowed thickly and lowered his head slightly so his mouth was only inches from Danny’s. 

“Danny…” he whispered, almost overwhelmed at the idea that the thing he’d dreamed of so long was about to happen.

Steve felt Danny shudder under him as the smaller man stretched up further bringing their mouths…

“Danno?”

Grace’s voice sounded from the kitchen and the two men pulled apart as if burned. They blinked at each other for a moment before Danny turned toward the kitchen door.

“In here, Monkey. You can come in now.”

Grace walked into the room and stepped over to her father who put one arm around her shoulders and gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

Seeing that father and daughter might need a bit of privacy, Steve excused himself quietly and walked out of the living room to join the others in Danny’s back yard.

“What did Mrs. Ahulani say?” Grace demanded.

Danny sighed and gestured to the couch where they both sat. He turned slightly so he was facing his daughter fully. He took both of her hands in his.

“Mommy and Stan have asked Stan’s brother, Allan, to adopt Charlie.”

Grace’s eyes widened in horror.

“But he lives way on the other side of the mainland!”

Danny nodded.

“Yes, in Pittsburgh. But that’s not too far from Newark so when we go visit Nana and Pop we can see him.”

Grace pursed her lips as her chin began to quiver.

“That’s not fair,” she whispered brokenly. “He’s my brother. Allan has only met him once and he wasn’t even that interested in him, and his wife didn’t like him at all.”

Danny sighed heavily.

“I’m sorry, baby. That’s what Mommy and Stan wanted and the court has to do what they wanted.”

Grace crossed her arms defiantly on her chest.

“I’ll adopt him. He’s my brother, I can take care of him. I’ve babysat him lots. I know what to do.”

Danny sat back against the couch and pulled his daughter with him tucking her firmly against his side.

“I know you’re a great big sister baby, but you can’t adopt him. You’re only 12 years old. They won’t let you.”

“Then you…”

Danny shook his head firmly.

“I already asked. I’m no relation to Charlie so they won’t let me. Besides, that’s not what Mommy wanted.”

Grace buried her face against her father’s chest and sobbed.

“It’s not fair, Danno. He’s my brother! I should be able to look after him. He’s mine!”

Danny squeezed his eyes closed and wrapped his arms around his daughter. He said nothing in response to that because there was nothing more to say. Nothing about this situation was right, and he had no way of fixing it.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Steve rolled over and sat up at the first snick of a bedroom door being opened. He’d insisted on spending the night at Danny’s for this very reason. It was obvious his partner wasn’t getting much sleep, and Steve was determined to do whatever it took to help.

The SEAL pushed back the covers of the guest room bed and climbed to his feet. He quietly opened the door and padded in bare feet down the hall to the living room. Finding it empty he checked the kitchen before looking out the back door and seeing his partner slumped in a lawn chair in the yard bathed in the light of a full moon. Steve walked outside grabbing a lawn chair of his own and setting it down beside Danny and lowering himself into it.

“Hey.”

“Steve, you didn’t need to get up. I’m perfectly capable of fretting on my own.”

“I’m here to try to help carry some of the burden, Danno. Why don’t you share it?”

Danny’s small, grateful smile was only just visible in the dim moonlight.

“It’s nothing, really babe. It’s just…I hate to see Charlie go. Grace loves him so much and they shouldn’t have to see each other once a year. The whole things sucks.”

Steve nodded slowly.

“It does. But is that the only reason you hate to see him go?”

Danny paused for a long moment then snorted softly.

“You know me too well, babe. It’s unnerving. No, it’s not the only reason I hate to see him go.”

“You love him too.”

Danny rubbed a tired hand down his face.

“Yeah. Ever since I watched him being born. Although I knew he wasn’t mine I just, I couldn’t help myself. I tried not to let my feelings get too deep, but I guess I did. Now that he’s here I want him to stay. I want him to be my son and I know that can’t happen.”

Danny’s voice cracked a bit at the end of that sentence and he looked away from Steve as he struggled to control his emotions. Steve reached over and gripped his best friend’s arm gently. 

“I’m sorry, Danno. I really am. I wish I could fix this for you.”

Danny looked back with glistening eyes and gave his partner an uneven smile. He placed his hand on top of Steve’s and gave it a squeeze.

“I know, babe, thanks. Just having you here has been a big help.”

Steve shifted slightly on his chair so that he was facing his partner more fully.

“I would do anything for you, Danny.”

Danny swallowed thickly as he observed the expression on Steve’s face. He’d seen glimpses of it aimed in his direction before. Steve would always look away when he caught Danny’s eyes on him, but not before Danny’s breath hitched in his chest. 

“Steve…”

“Danny I…I know this isn’t the right time but…I need to say…I want to tell you…”

Steve huffed in frustration and looked away obviously berating himself for being unable to put his thoughts and feelings into words.

Suddenly Danny realized no words were necessary. They were both on the same page, of that he was sure.

Danny leaned over the arm of his lawn chair, tipping it precariously, and took Steve’s chin in his hand. His face was inches from Steve’s and he examined the other man’s eyes for a moment to look for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, he leaned over a bit more and pressed his mouth against Steve’s.

The kiss was firm and insistent. Danny didn’t want there to be any doubt about his feelings. Steve froze for a split second then wrapped his arms around Danny almost pulling the smaller man out of his chair. Steve moaned softly as their mouths opened and their tongues tentatively met. That sound made something flutter in Danny’s gut and he moved closer to Steve, ramping up the intensity of the kiss. He was twisted at an odd angle, half in and half out of the lawn chair. Steve’s ran his hand up Danny’s back and neck and buried his fingers in his partner’s hair.

Danny shifted again trying to get even closer to Steve as he ran his hands up underneath the SEAL’s tee-shirt and onto warm skin and hard-muscle. It was amazing to be able to touch the body that he’d been fantasizing about for so long. It was one of the few times in life that reality lived up to the fantasy.

Steve began tugging Danny over to his lap when a loud crack broke the silence of the night and Danny’s lawn chair began twisting and collapsing beneath him. Danny was so far on top of his partner that Steve’s chair had to bear the weight of the two men, something it was not designed to do. With a tired groan Steve’s chair also collapsed in a tangle of twisted metal sending the two men toppling over into the grass.

Steve lay on top of Danny, the remains of the two lawn chairs tangled around their feet. The two men stared at each other in shock for a moment before they both burst out laughing. Danny shook so hard with laughter that he was too weak to push Steve off. His partner lay across him like a heavy blanket.

“See?” Steve finally choked out with a laugh. “I knew I’d make you fall for me.”

Danny snorted and shook his head before pulling his arms out from under Steve and cupping the sides of his partner’s face.

“Let me do the bad puns, babe. You have better things to do with your mouth.”

Steve grinned happily and captured Danny’s mouth with his once more.

The two men deepened the kiss immediately, tongues battling for dominance and breaths mingling with soft moans. Danny could feel Steve’s growing erection pressing against the inner thigh of his right leg and felt his own cock quickly filling and thickening.

Steve shifted slightly and slowly let a hand drift down Danny’s chest, grabbing the hem of Danny’s tee- shirt and pulling it up as much as he could to display the hard muscle and thick hair of Danny’s chest.

“Wanted this so long,” Steve breathed in Danny’s mouth as Danny ran his fingers up through Steve’s hair.

Steve let his hand drift lower once more and his fingers dipped under the elastic waistband of Danny’s sleep pants and slid through the course pubic hair and lightly wrapped around Danny’s hard cock.

Danny moaned his partner’s name causing the taller man to tighten his grip on Danny’s cock and give it an experimental stroke.

“Steve…” Danny whispered again, pulling his mouth away from his partner’s and gasping for breath. “Steve.”

Steve dipped his head and began nipping and sucking at Danny’s neck causing the smaller man to arch up involuntarily and groan at the combined, and almost overwhelming, feeling of Steve’s hand on his cock and his mouth on his skin.

“God, Steve I…”

“Want you, Danny,” Steve murmured into his partner’s neck. “Wanted you for so long.”

Steve twisted his hand and rubbed his thumb over the tip of Danny’s cock making the blond man cry out softly. But like a light switch being thrown, Danny stiffened and began pushing on Steve’s chest with his hands.

“Steve, babe, no…”

“Hmm?” Steve murmured so lost in the pleasure of Danny’s body that he didn’t immediately realize his partner was pushing him away.

Finally Danny gave a stronger push.

“Steve! No.” 

Steve snapped back to reality and looked down at Danny with horror before beginning to scramble up off his partner pulling his hand from under the waistband of Danny’s pants with a jerk.

“Oh Jesus, Danny. I’m so sorry I thought…”

Danny shook his head rapidly and wrapped his arms around the dark-haired man’s torso and locked his hands together behind Steve’s back so he couldn’t escape.

“No, no. You’re not understanding me. I don’t mean it like that. I don’t mean I don’t want this, that I don’t want you.”

Steve stared down at his partner in confusion.

“What? I don’t…”

“Babe,” Danny whispered gently tugging at Steve until the taller man was lying flat on him again, their faces inches apart. “I want you babe. I’ve never wanted anyone more in my life. But I can’t go from forcing myself to thinking of you only as my partner and best friend to having sex with you in the space of 15 minutes. It’s too fast and besides, everything’s falling apart. Grace and Charlie are devastated and it’s only going to get worse. We need to concentrate on them for now.”

Steve swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. His cock was aching with need and it was going to be a Herculean effort to stop, but he knew Danny was right. Their first priority had to be the children.

He opened his eyes again and nodded.

“OK. Yeah, you’re right, I just…god you’re so sexy and I…”

Danny loosened his hands and ran them up and down Steve’s back.

“Believe me, babe, I feel the same way about you and we will be together soon, but not right away, ok? We need to wait a little while. Will you…? Will you wait for me?” Danny asked almost fearfully, terrified that Danny and his problems might be too much for Steve to take on.

Steve gave his partner a soft, adoring smile.

“As long as I have to, Danno.”

**********

Steve looked out through his kitchen window to see Danny and Charlie building a sand castle on the beach while Grace sat several feet away staring out to sea and sifting handfuls of sand mindlessly through her fingers. The dark-haired man grabbed a tray and loaded it with four glasses of lemonade before pushing open the screen door with his toe and walking down the lanai steps and across the grass towards the group.

Everyone had needed some distraction and decided to come and spend the day on Steve’s beach. Charlie loved the ocean as much as his sister and Steve was pleased to see he was a fairly strong swimmer for a two-year-old.

“Lemonade!” Steve announced cheerfully and smiled as Charlie scrambled to his feet and ran towards him. The SEAL put the small plastic cup in the little boy’s hand and chuckled as he began to gulp it.

“Hey, slow down mister. You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

Charlie licked his lips and looked up at Steve, a dribble of lemonade trickling down his chin.

“I love yemonade. It’s my favourite.”

“I see that,” Steve responded with a smile. The SEAL walked over to Danny and handed his partner the icy cold glass. Danny reached for it, making sure to wrap his hands around Steve’s first before slowly taking the glass from his hand.

“Thanks, babe,” Danny whispered softly, his gaze never leaving Steve’s face. 

The look in Danny’s eyes was so full of love and promise Steve had to clear his throat past a lump that had formed in it.

“No problem.” 

Glanced over at Grace who still sat motionless on the sand obviously lost in thought.

Steve looked back at Danny and tipped his head towards Grace in question.

Danny shrugged and shook his head.

“She hasn’t said a word since we got here. I’ve never not been able to get her to talk. I’m worried.”

“Do you mind if I…?”

Danny smiled up at his partner gratefully.

“Please, babe. If there’s anyone else she can talk to it’s you.”

Steve carried the tray with the last two glasses of lemonade over to where Grace sat in the sand. He lowered himself down beside her and held her glass out to her. She didn’t seem to have noticed that he was beside her.

“Grace?”

The little girl jumped slightly and turned to look at her uncle.

“Oh…hi Uncle Steve.”

“Hi sweetie. I brought you some lemonade.”

Grace nodded as she took the glass and set it untouched into the sand beside her. She gave Steve a brief, fleeting smile.

“Thank you.”

Steve sat beside the little girl for several long minutes gazing out to sea and sipping his own drink. 

Finally Grace took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Uncle Steve?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“How old were you when your mom died – or when you thought she’d died?”

Steve swallowed the last mouthful of lemonade and put the empty glass beside him in the sand and wrapped his arms around his drawn up legs.

“I was 16.”

“Did you…did you ever feel…like you should have…that maybe if you’d…” Grace huffed out a frustrated breath and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her drawn up knees and bury her fingers in her hair.

Steve reached over and put a gentle hand on his niece’s back.

“Baby, are you asking if I blamed myself?”

Grace stiffened then nodded slowly, her face still hidden by her arms.

“I did,” Steve replied softly. “I felt like if I’d only gone with her to the grocery store – or gone myself. Or if I hadn’t asked her to make grilled ahi for dinner cause it was my favourite. For a long time I thought I should have done something to stop her, to stop it.”

Grace sat silent and unmoving for a long time. When she spoke again her voice was so tiny Steve had to lean forward to hear what she was saying.

“It’s my fault. They had taken me to school. We were running late because I wanted mom to put a French braid in my hair and I got mad at her when she said we didn’t have time. I dawdled just to make her mad. I was mad at her for not doing my stupid hair…” Grace’s voice was strangled with barely contained emotions.

“Gracie…”

“It’s my fault!” she sobbed, seeming to fold herself over more as if to make herself as small as possible.

“Grace. Look at me,” Steve commanded softly. When the little girl didn’t respond he moved his hand up to her shoulder and tugged on it lightly. “Look at me, Grace.”

Finally the child lifted her wet, puffy face towards her uncle, her eyes meeting his for only a moment before darting away in shame.

“What happened to your mom and Stan was not your fault. It had nothing to do with you or your behaviour that morning. It wasn’t your fault any more than my mom’s death or my father’s murder were my fault. Bad things happen sometimes. I wish they didn’t, and I wish we could stop them but we can’t.”

Steve paused for a moment considering his next words.

“We make a thousand little decisions every day, most of them so inconsequential we don’t even consider them. What time we get up, what direction to drive to work. Whether to stop for coffee or not. Any one of those decisions could lead us to tragedy or to just a regular day in our lives. We don’t know which is which and we can’t spend our lives worrying about it or we’ll go crazy. We just have to enjoy our lives as much as possible. And when bad things do happen we can’t spend the rest of our lives thinking “what if” or “if only.” 

Steve gently wrapped his arm around Grace and pulled her tight against his side.

“What happened to your mom and Stan was a terrible tragedy and you know if your mom were here she’d tell you not to blame yourself. She wouldn’t want you to feel guilty or let this ruin your life. This wasn’t your fault baby.” 

Grace let out a shuddering breath and looked up at Steve intently.

“Are you sure?”

Steve leaned over and kissed Grace on the top of her head.

“I am absolutely, 100% sure, sweetie. Nothing you did or could have done caused the accident.”

Grace sank with weary relief into Steve’s side, her little hand clutching the back of his tee-shirt.

“I miss mommy so much,” she whispered brokenly.

Steve closed his eyes tightly for a moment, pressing his lips together until he could tamp down the emotion surging up in him. Watching Grace suffer brought back all the terrible memories of those first long hours and days after his mother died.

“I know you do, baby. But I promise you, I promise you that someday it will get easier to bear. You’ll always miss your mom, and there will always be a hole in your life without her. But it will get easier to bear and until it does, your ohana will do everything it can to help, OK?”

Grace nodded slowly. As her weight grew heavier against Steve he knew she was falling asleep. He was happy to sit there in the sand holding on to his beloved girl for hours if she needed it

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

“There’s…an issue,” Mrs. Ahulani announced to Steve and Danny as the three sat in her small office in the Miller Street building. She had called Danny to come to her office that morning and was not surprised when his over-protective partner showed up as well. Mrs. Ahulani was beginning to wonder if something was going on between the two – something that went beyond friendship – but neither had given any indication of it and it wasn’t her business to ask.

“What kind of issue?” Danny demanded worriedly.

Mrs. Ahulani picked up a pen from her desk and began fiddling with it distractedly.

“It appears Mr. Allan Edwards does not want to adopt Charles.”

Steve and Danny sat frozen in horror for a moment, both struck dumb with disbelief.

“Wh-what?” Steve’s voice sounded dry and strangled.

Mrs. Ahulani sighed and shook her head in despair.

“It’s almost unbelievable, but Mr. Edwards says he and his wife just found out they’re pregnant with their first child and they want to concentrate their attention on their own child when it’s born. They don’t feel they want to take on the ‘added responsibility,’” Mrs. Ahulani made air quotes with her fingers at that, “of a grief-stricken child. It’s…beyond the pale.”

“I don’t believe this,” Danny growled, his fingers gripping the arms of the chair tightly. “He must have agreed to be Charlie’s guardian before. I’m sure Stan and Rachel asked them?”

Mrs. Ahulani nodded. 

“They did ask, but that was a year ago. Mr. Edwards said things have changed since then and they don’t feel they can do it now. He umm, he suggests we find a nice local family to adopt the boy.”

“Oh my god,” Steve whispered, shaking his head in shock. The idea of someone not wanting to adopt that sweet, smart, heart-broken little boy was more than he could grasp.

“Then I’ll take him,” Danny barked standing from his chair and beginning to pace the room. 

“Mr. Williams, I…” Mrs. Ahulani began but Danny waved off her words.

“No! This is bullshit. I’m not letting my daughter’s brother go live with complete strangers. He has a family already. He has an ohana who love and care for him. He belongs with us.”

“Detective, I just want to say…”

“Don’t try to talk me out of it, Mrs. Ahulani,” Danny interrupted again flinging one hand to the side as if batting away her words. “I know you don’t think I stand a very good chance of getting him, but there’s no way I’m letting him go without a hell of a fight.”

Mrs. Ahulani glanced over at Steve who was staring up at his partner, his face a mixture of pride and adoration. Yes, something was definitely going on between the two men. She turned her attention back to the smaller man angrily pacing back and forth in the small room.

“What I was going to say,” Mrs. Ahulani continued, brooking no interruption this time. “Is that I think you should try. Get yourself a good lawyer and lay out your case in front of the judge.”

Danny stopped pacing and turned to stare at the older woman in surprise.

“Really?”

Mrs. Ahulani shrugged and climbed to her feet. 

“I’m not saying you’ll win, but I think you should try. Charlie deserves that, so does Grace. You’re obviously a wonderful, devoted father. I can’t think of anyone better to raise Charlie. Mr. Edwards will be here tomorrow to make funeral arrangements. If we can get him to agree to you adopting Charlie that would go a long way to helping your case.”

Danny felt himself sag with relief and he grinned happily at the social worker. Steve stood up and nodded once, a look of clear determination on his face.

“We’ll get a lawyer today. “

**********

“So, what’s going on between you and Danny, boss?” Kono queried as she assessed Steve with her frank, often squirm-inducing gaze. She was perched on the edge of the outdoor table drinking a beer and watching as Steve grilled dinner for the Ohana on the barbeque.

Steve, in the process of flipping the burgers, fumbled one at her words and had to scramble to keep it from dropping on the sand-blown lanai. Recovering quickly he closed the cover on the barbeque and turned to give Kono an innocent look, the barbeque spatula held in front of him like a shield.

“What? What are you talking about?”

The young Hawaiian woman rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath. 

“Oh please, the long looks, the touching, the secret smiles? You think I don’t know when two people are in love? Have you slept together yet?”

Steve sputtered in indignation.

“Excuse me? Don’t you think that’s kind of a personal question?”

“So you haven’t,” Kono replied confidently, completely ignoring his reaction. “But you’ve obviously made some sort of change in your relationship. You’ve decided to start dating?”

“I don’t know where you…”

“I’m for it, of course,” the young woman barreled on. “The two of you were always heading to this so it’s about time you got there.” 

Kono rose to her feet and placed her now empty beer bottle on the picnic table before turning her unwavering gaze onto her boss. “Now the two of you can raise Charlie and Grace together.”

Steve barked out a strained laugh trying to cover the flippy feeling he got in his stomach at her words.

“Aren’t you rushing ahead of yourself just a little? I mean Danny and I are…we haven’t…neither of us knows what’s going to happen.”

“Psssh,” Kono tossed his words aside with one flap of her hand. “It’s obvious you belong together. Just don’t dawdle, alright? You’ve had more than enough time to figure out that you love each other and belong together. Time to get off the pot, boss.”

Steve’s mouth dropped open as he cast his mind around for an appropriate response to her outrageous statements.

The Hawaiian woman turned and began walking down the lanai stairs towards the rest of her Ohana on the beach.

“You’re burning the burgers,” she threw over her shoulder.

**********

Danny didn’t like the look of Allan Edwards the moment he laid eyes on the man. He was tall and handsome like his late brother, but he had a slippery, used-car salesman-type air about him, like he was looking for the next big deal and was willing to climb over anyone to get it. Danny may not have always been a fan of Stan Edwards, but he knew the man was basically decent and he genuinely loved Charles and Grace. This guy? Danny did not get a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Several hours ago Danny had received a call from Mrs. Ahulani asking him to come to Judge Oshry’s office to speak with Allan Edwards. Apparently Mr. Edwards had met with the judge in the morning to look at his brother and sister-in-law’s will and discuss funeral arrangements. After that meeting he had suddenly expressed a desire to see his nephew. Danny was excited by the call. He knew it was probably his best chance to convince Allan Edwards support for his adoption of Charlie.

The meeting was held in Judge Oshry’s clerk’s office with a pale-looking Mrs. Ahulani in attendance. Mrs. Allan Edwards was apparently suffering too much morning sickness to fly to Hawaii. Having gone through that with Rachel early in her pregnancy to Grace, Danny could sympathize.

After handshakes all around Allan – wearing a perfectly pressed pale blue golf shirt and perfectly pressed khaki pants – hunched over with his hands on his knees to speak to Charlie. 

“Hello, Charles. My, you’ve grown up since the last time I saw you. You’re a big fellow now aren’t you?”

Charlie took one wide-eyed look at the man who looked uncannily like his father but sounded and acted completely different, and stuffed his fist in his mouth and hid behind Danny’s leg.

“Come on, son,” Allan coaxed in a slightly offended tone. “I’m your Uncle Allan. Your daddy’s little brother. No need to be so shy. I don’t bite…much!” 

Allan let out a loud guffaw at his lame joke and Charlie hid even further behind Danny, giving a little mewl of fright.

“Maybe you could give him a few minutes to get used to you,” Danny suggested between gritted teeth. The guy obviously had limited experience with children. Even Danny’s Neanderthal partner knew to get down to a child’s level and speak to them gently.

Allan Edward straightened up and gave Danny an insincere smile.

“Kids love me. He’ll come around.”

Danny rolled his eyes. He didn’t give a crap if Charlie ‘came around’ or not since he wasn't going anywhere with this buffoon.

“When you come to Pittsburgh to live with me you’ll be more comfortable. I’m sure we’ll be friends,” Allan announced out of the blue.

Danny felt the colour drain from his face and he stared at Edwards with open-mouthed shock.

“What? What are you talking about? He’s not moving to Pittsburgh. You said you didn’t want him.”

Mrs. Ahulani, who had been standing in a corner of the room, stepped forward and gave Danny a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry, Detective. Just a half-hour ago Mr. Edwards told the judge that he’d changed his mind and does now want to adopt Charles. I just found out a moment ago myself and didn’t have a chance to warn you.”

Danny looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

“But…he said two days ago…”

Edwards waved a dismissive hand.

“I didn’t know what I was saying then. I was so shocked by my brother’s death that I wasn’t able to think clearly. Now that I’ve had a chance to calm down I know I do want to adopt the child…”

“His name is Charlie,” Danny spat the words at the taller man.

“…and welcome him into our home. I think he will be a good big brother to our baby when it’s born.”

“He’s happy here,” Danny growled his temper barely in check. “His sister is here and all of his friends. This is the only home he’s ever known.”

Edwards made a dismissive sound in his throat.

“He’s a baby. In two weeks he won’t even remember this place. My wife and I can give him a good home in Pittsburgh.”

Danny turned his glare onto Mrs. Ahulani.

“Is the judge going to let him get away with this? Two days ago he wasn’t even interested in the boy and now suddenly he’s Beaver Cleaver’s dad?”

Mrs. Ahulani licked her lips nervously. She had been placed in a terrible position. While she could advise the judge that she felt Charlie would benefit from staying in Hawaii, it didn’t mean he would listen. In fact he was unlikely to listen given the expressed wishes of Rachel and Stanley Edwards.

“The judge has asked for a hearing on this matter. Since Mr. Edwards wants to return home as soon as possible we’ll have the hearing on Monday, the day after the funeral.”

“So my lawyer has three days to prepare my case?” Danny demanded incredulously.

“Look,” Edwards interrupted. “I know you’ve offered to adopt the kid – Charles – and I think that’s nice, but you’re no relation to him. I really don’t see what business this is of yours.”

“He’s my daughter’s half-brother!” Danny roared, immediately regretting the tone of his voice when Charlie, obviously feeling the tension in the room, suddenly burst into tears. The detective peeled Charlie’s hands from where they were clutching his knees and lifted the little boy up to cradle him in his arms. He bounced him gently and whispered quietly to the boy before turning his attention back to Edwards.

“I’ve known him since he was born,” Danny’s voice was more of a hiss than a whisper. “Hell I was there when he was born. He knows me and my family and he’s happy with us. Why do you want to take him away from all that?”

Edwards crossed his arms defensively on his chest and gave Danny a hard stare.

“My brother left the boy to me, not to you. He’s mine and I want him.”

“He’s not an object he’s a child,” Danny spat, still bouncing Charlie lightly.

Mr. Edwards turned away from Danny and faced down Mrs. Ahulani.

“I want a chance to get to know Charlie better without Mr. Williams around. I’d like to bring him to my hotel for the weekend.”

“No!” the detective growled. “You can’t expect him to go off with a complete stranger. He’s upset and frightened enough.”

Mrs. Ahulani put up both hands to stop the argument.

“Mr. Edwards until the guardianship is confirmed by Judge Oshry, I can’t allow you to take Charlie away; however, I will allow you supervised visits with him for a few hours at a time over the next few days.”

Edwards flushed angrily and started to argue but Mrs. Ahulani shook her head firmly.

“Charlie needs time to adapt. He doesn’t know you. It would be cruel to cut him off from Mr. Williams and his sister so abruptly.”

Edwards snorted in disgust and turned away not meeting the eyes of either adult.

“Fine!” he snapped. “But I don’t want Williams to be a part of these visits. He’ll just poison the boy against me.”

Danny tightened his jaw. As much as he wanted to punch Edwards in the mouth, he needed to keep things calm for the little boy.

“I will supervise the visits personally,” Mrs. Ahulai announced firmly. “Then on Monday we’ll meet with the judge.”

“Seems a lot of fuss for nothing,” grumbled Edwards under his breath.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Danny pushed open the door of Five-0 headquarters and ushered Charlie through. The little boy was engrossed in his cup of grape shave ice and seemed happy enough after the tense situation at the court house.

Steve, Kono, Chin and Lou all came out of their offices to meet the pair, but although Danny had a smile on his face, the team could immediately tell he was upset about something.

“Hey guys,” Steve called out with false cheer. “How did everything go?”

“Great!” Danny replied trying to make himself sound upbeat for Charlie’s sake. “We got to see the court house and meet Charlie’s Uncle Allan, and we stopped for a shave ice.”

“That sounds like fun,” Chin replied putting a warm hand on Charlie’s shoulder. The little boy looked up at him and smiled through a sticky beard of grape shave ice. “Why don’t you and I get washed up and then we can go into my office and do some colouring, Charlie, would you like that?”

The little boy nodded vigorously and Danny gave Chin a grateful look. It always amazed him how tuned into each other his Ohana was. The older Hawaiian man led the little boy out of the offices towards the men’s washroom while Danny and the rest of the team went into Steve’s office and closed the door behind them.

Without a word, Danny slumped against Steve burying his face in his partner’s shirt. Steve immediately wrapped his arms around Danny running one hand soothingly up and down the smaller man’s back.

“What happened, Danno?” he asked gently.

Danny swallowed thickly and shook his head against Steve’s chest.

“Edwards…he announced that he does want to adopt Charlie after all.”

“What?” Lou barked, his face a picture of disgust. “Two days ago he wasn’t interested in the boy and now he wants to play daddy?”

Danny let out a heavy breath and straightened up turning to look at the rest of his team. Steve kept his arm on his partner’s shoulder.

“Apparently he was so overcome by grief when he heard about Stan that he wasn’t thinking straight. As of this morning he’s decided he actually does want Charlie.”

Steve fisted his free hand at his side. 

“So what? They’re just going to hand him over?”

Danny shook his head as he rubbed his hands tiredly over his face.

“The judge has called a hearing for Monday, but in the meantime we have to allow him supervised visits.”

“So we’ve got the weekend to figure out a game plan,” Kono said confidently.

Danny couldn’t help the little snort of disbelief.

“I’m not going to win this. Allan Edwards is a property developer, just like his brother. He’s got shit loads of money to afford great lawyers. Not to mention he’s Charlie’s blood relative and can give him a stable home where the dad isn’t dodging bullets half the time, and working three days in a row without sleep. The judge is going to send Charlie off to Pittsburgh with a bow wrapped around him.”

“Danny…” Steve admonished softly, worried about his partner’s defeatist attitude. 

Danny raised his hands to stop whatever Steve was going to say.

“I’m sorry, babe I’m just…I’m scared.”

Steve squeezed Danny tightly to his side for a moment then released him and gave him a gentle push towards the door.

“Go and get yourself a coffee and sit quietly for a few minutes, ok? Kono, Lou and I will talk about this and see if we can come up with a plan.”

Danny nodded and trudged to the door of Steve’s office. He pulled it open but paused for a moment, his back to the team.

“I don’t know what I’m going to tell Grace. I got her hopes up…I got my hopes up…” Danny’s voice cracked on the last word and he quickly walked through the door letting it close softly behind him.

Steve’s face hardened as he turned to glare at Kono and Lou.

“Kono, start digging. I want to know everything there is to know about Allan Edwards. We need to find something that will make the judge think twice about handing Charlie over to him.”

Kono nodded.

“On it, boss.”

As the young Hawaiian officer left, Lou looked over at Steve expectantly. 

“What can I do, Steve?”

“Do you know any cops in Pittsburgh?”

Lou pondered that question for a moment.

“When I was in Chicago I worked on an interstate trafficking case with a detective in Philadelphia a couple of years ago. She might have some contacts in Pittsburgh who can help us.”

“Good. Contact her will you? I want anything about Edwards that might not be on the record. Stuff only cops would know. I want any piece of dirt you can dig up.”

“You got it.”

“Meanwhile, I’m going to call Mrs. Ahulani and see if she can shed any light onto this magical change of heart that Allan Edwards had this morning. Something tells me there’s more to it than newly discovered family feeling.”

**********

Danny sat in one of Steve’s office chairs with his fingers wrapped around a hot cup of coffee as Steve hit the speaker button on the phone and Mrs. Ahulani’s voice echoed around his office.

“Obviously I can’t seem to be taking sides at his point,” Mrs. Ahulani explained to the partners. “Unless Mr. Edwards is declared unfit to take Charles, I have to be open-minded about both of you.”

“We understand that, Mrs. Ahulani,” replied Steve shifting forward in his chair to be closer to the speaker. “We’re not asking you to do anything against your ethics; we just want to know what happened to make Allan Edwards change his mind about adopting Charles. We’re not really buying the excuse he gave Danny.”

The office grew silent as Mrs. Ahulani obviously pondered her response.

“I don’t know for sure, but I spoke to Judge Oshry’s clerk. He was in the room when Mr. Edwards met with the judge and went over the terms of the will. The clerk had the sense that Mr. Edwards seemed to – how do I say this without sounding too judgmental? – perk up when the terms of the will were discussed.”

Danny and Steve looked at each other in confusion.

“Is he named as a beneficiary in the will?” Danny asked.

“Not directly,” Mrs. Ahulani replied. “I can’t go into specifics but let’s say that a good sum has been left to Charlie. That money will be held in trust and cannot be touched by anyone but Charlie, and even then not until he’s 20 years old. But a fairly sizable provision was made for whoever becomes Charlie’s guardian. The amount is not inconsequential.”

Steve shook his head in disgust. Could this change of heart by Edwards really be about money?

“Thank you, Mrs. Ahulani,” Steve said into the phone. “At least we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“I wish I could help more,” the older woman said sadly. “Detective Williams I’d like to pick up Charlie tomorrow at 11 a.m. to meet with Mr. Edwards if that’s alright with you? We’ll have him back at 3 p.m.”

Danny tightened his jaw for a moment. It was most certainly not alright with him, but he had little choice and he had to play ball, at least until the judge made his decision.

“That’s fine,” he ground out. 

Steve and Danny thanked Mrs. Ahulani for her assistance and ended the call.

“The money, that’s what this is about,” snorted Steve in disgust.

Danny put down his coffee cup and sat back in his chair.

“It seems odd though. I remember Rachel telling me that Allan was a very successful property developer. She made it sound like he was maybe richer than Stan. Why would he need the money?”

Steve shrugged as he picked up his office phone and punched in three numbers. 

“Kono? When you check Edwards pay particular attention to his financials. We think this is about money left in Stan’s will to whoever will be Charlie’s guardian…yeah…ok, thanks.”

Steve hung up and looked back at Danny who was favouring him with a disapproving glare.

“What?”

“If Edwards’ finds out you’ve been checking up on him and reports it to the judge that could screw up my chances of getting Charlie.”

Steve showed his teeth in an almost feral grin.

“This team is the best, Danno. You know that. He’s not going to find out.”

**********

Danny opened the front door of his house on Saturday afternoon to see a sniffling Charlie being led up the walk by Mrs. Ahulani. The little boy was wearing a tee-shirt from the Waikiki Aquarium and clutching a stuffed whale, but was obviously tired and miserable. As soon as Charlie spotted Danny he broke away from Mrs. Ahulani and ran sobbing into Danny’s arms.

“Charlie,” Danny spoke softly to the little boy, “What’s the matter, honey?”

“Not like, not like…” Charlie wailed, clutching Danny around the neck and smearing snot and tears on the detective’s shirt.

Danny looked up at Mrs. Ahulani with blazing eyes.

“What happened?”

Mrs. Ahulani, who looked tired and wrung out herself, sighed heavily and shifted her purse higher up on her shoulder.

“Nothing specifically. Charlie was just nervous with Mr. Edwards and Mr. Edwards…well he’s not that good with children. I’m sure he’ll get better.”

“Was does that mean? I want to know exactly what he did.”

“Detective,” Mrs. Ahulani replied a bit testily. “Nothing happened; they’re just not comfortable with each other yet. It takes time. I would never allow Charlie to be in a situation that was dangerous or hurtful to him, you must know that.”

Danny clutched Charlie tighter to his chest and took in several deep breaths to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Ahulani. I have complete faith in you I just, I hate this. I hate that this little boy is being dragged through this situation and may be forced to go live with people he doesn’t know.”

The Hawaiian woman nodded in understanding.

“I feel the same way. All we can do is lay out the facts and the arguments before the judge and hope he makes the right decision for Charles.”

Danny squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Something in his gut said this battle was already lost for him, but he needed to keep trying for the sake of Charlie and Grace…and himself.

After Mrs. Ahulani left Danny carried Charlie into the house and into the bathroom. He set the child gently down on the cabinet and wet a washcloth to clean the little boy’s flushed face. Charlie sniffled and leaned tiredly against Danny.

“You need a nap, little man,” Danny said firmly as he picked Charlie up once more.

“No want nap,” Charlie whined even as his eyes were drooping.

“How about if Uncle Danno lies down with you? Would that be ok?”

Charlie nodded and wrapped his arms around Danny’s neck letting the stuffed whale fall to the floor.

Danny carried Charlie into Grace’s room where he’d been sharing the bed with his sister since being brought to Danny’s house. Danny pulled back the covers and placed Charlie gently between the sheets before covering him again and lying down beside the child. Charlie immediately curled onto his side up against Danny, one little hand clutching the sleeve of Danny’s shirt.

“Not like…” Charlie repeated drowsily, his voice fading as sleep overtook him.

Danny took in a shuddering breath and had to blink back tears. He dreaded the thought of having to hand Charlie over to a man that obviously didn’t care much about him. Danny really thought that if he could get away with it, he’d scoop up both children and run somewhere no one could find them. Except life without his Ohana – and especially Steve – would be miserable for all of them.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Danny loosened the tie on his dress shirt and slumped down on the couch beside a wilted-looking Grace. Charlie was out on the beach playing with Kono while Steve showed the last of their guest to their cars. Chin and Lou were in the kitchen washing dishes and putting away the food friends had brought over.

The funeral had been lovely but exhausting. Grace had tried to be brave at first but the sight of her mother and step-father’s urns on the altar was shattering and she broke down sobbing in Danny’s arms. Charlie was confused about the entire scene and spent most of the service colouring in a colouring book or, when he got too fidgety, taken outside by Lou or Kono to play. 

A large gathering of friends had stayed behind after the service for refreshments in the hall attached to the church, and Danny had never been more proud of his little girl than watching her walk around to say hello to everyone and thank them for coming. Even Allan Edwards, looking pale and awkward in an uncomfortably heavy black suit, had received a hug from Grace.

After the formal part of the day, a small group of friends joined the Ohana back at Danny’s house for a few beers and to share memories of Rachel and Stan. It had been a sad, emotionally draining day made worse by the thought that tomorrow they could lose Charlie forever.

Steve reentered the house and sat down with a sigh on the other side of Grace. He put his arm around her and she snuggled against him while reaching out to take one of Danny’s hands in hers.

“You were very brave today, sweetheart,” Steve praised the young woman giving her a kiss on the top of the head. “I was proud of you.”

“So was I,” Danny added with a small smile. “And I know your mom would be too.”

Grace gave both men a watery smile.

“Everyone was really nice. Mom and Stan had a lot of friends. I couldn’t believe how full the church was.”

Danny stroked the top of his daughter’s hand with his thumb.

“Mommy was always popular, always had a lot of friends. She was so kind and caring, people just gravitated to her. You remind me of her in that way.”

Grace blinked rapidly in an effort to stop any new tears from falling. She felt like she’d been drained of any moisture hours before.

“Hey,” Steve said, giving Grace a little nudge. “Why don’t you go and have a bath or something. Maybe lie down for a while with a book or your iPod?”

Grace considered the idea then nodded gratefully and sat up.

“I wouldn’t mind a bit of time to myself.” She turned to her father and gave him a slightly worried look. “Would that be ok, Danno? I don’t want to leave you if you need help with something.”

Danny smiled gratefully at his little girl who was too quickly growing up.

“It’s fine, Monkey. Steve and the others are here if I need help with anything, and Charlie is going to have a nap soon. Go ahead and unwind for a while.”

Grace leaned over and gave her father a kiss on the cheek then twisted around to give Steve one before standing up and moving down the hall towards her bedroom. The two men watched her go then Danny slid across the couch to nestle into Steve’s arms himself.

“You really have a way with her, babe,” Danny said softly. “You’re always so in tune with what she needs.”

Steve rested his head against Danny’s and sighed.

“I don’t know about that. I just remember the day of my mom’s funeral and how overwhelming it all was. My father insisted we stay around until every guest had left and all I really wanted to do was throw myself in the ocean or crawl under my bed.”

Danny lifted his head to bury his face in Steve’s neck taking a moment to breathe in the mixture of Steve’s slightly spicy after shave and the ever present scent of salt water. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Danny whispered. “I don’t know how I would have gotten through all this without you.”

Steve tightened his arms around his partner.

“You’d have found a way, Danno. You’re one of the strongest people I know. But I’m glad I’m here and able to offer whatever support I can. I love you, Danno.”

Danny lifted up slight and gently kissed Steve on the lips.

“I love you too, babe. Will you…will you stay with me tonight?”

“You know I’ll be here tonight, Danno.”

“No, I mean with me, in my room, in my bed. I don’t want you across the hall I want you next to me.”

Steve gave Danny a gentle smile and kissed him softly before resting their foreheads together.

“I never want to be anywhere else.”

The two men sat breathing each other in for a moment until the sound of throat clearing reminded them they were not alone in the house. They sat up and looked across the room to find Chin and Grover standing in the kitchen doorway smiling broadly but seemingly fascinated by the ceiling.

“Sorry guys,” Danny chuckled bashfully. He and Steve had never officially announced the change in their relationship but then again, it was obvious the entire team knew what was going on.

“No problem,” Grover responded with a grin. “Just didn’t want you to take the lovey-dovey much further and scar us for life.”

Danny snorted at that.

“’Lovey dovey’? What are you, 80 years old?”

Lou and Chin sat down in the living room just as the lanai screen door slammed and Charlie came tearing in, Kono hot on his heels. The little boy had been changed out of his suit after they arrived home from the church and was now wearing flowered board shorts and a pale blue tee shirt. His hair was a mess, his face covered in sand and grime and he was sporting a huge smile that lit up the room.

“Me build castle, Uncle Danno! Kono build castle too!”

“That’s awesome, buddy!” Danny enthused reaching over to pull Charlie until he was standing between Danny’s knees. “Looks like you brought some of the sand in with you too. Did you leave any on the beach?”

Charlie nodded seriously.

“Yup. Danno, I thirsty.”

Lou stood up at that and put his hand out to Charlie.

“Come on man, I’ll get you some water and then we can watch cartoons in Danno’s room for a while. Auntie Kono has to talk to Danno anyway.”

Charlie grabbed Lou’s giant paw and allowed the large man to lead him out of the living room while Danny and Steve looked up at Kono expectantly.

The Hawaiian officer picked up her purse where she’d left it near the front door and dug out her iPad before coming to sit in a chair across from the couch where Danny and Steve were resting.

“I looked into Allan Edwards – as much as I could on a weekend anyway,” Kono began as she turned on her iPad and began scrolling through pages. “He is a property developer in Pittsburgh, and from all accounts he’s done well, very well. There’s been some rumours about him – pay offs to city zoning officials, that kind of thing – but nothing proven and no real evidence that I could find. When the economy tanked a few years ago he took a big hit and had to sell off some property, get rid of staff and liquidate some assets to stay afloat. It also looks like he got a few loans from Stan. But those problems seem to have passed and business is picking up again.”

“Maybe it’s not picking up fast enough,” suggested Steve. “Maybe he wants a bit more of a nest egg.”

The young woman shrugged slightly.

“I guess it depends on how much money he feels he needs but, as I said, his business is picking up again so he’s not in financial straits that I can see. The half million dollars he’d get from being Charlie’s guardian wouldn’t seem to make that big a difference for him. A few years ago it would have been pocket change.”

Danny jerked back in surprise.

“How do you know it’s a half million dollars? Mrs. Ahulani never told us the amount.”

Kono blushed and looked over at Chin who lifted both hands in a dismissive gesture. 

“We may have a cousin who works in the courthouse and who may have seen a copy of Stan and Rachel’s will.”

Steve shook his head in disbelief then smiled.

“I’m glad the Kelly/Kalakaua cousins are on our side.”

The room fell silent for a moment while each team member pondered the information Kono had shared.

“Maybe this isn’t about money,” Danny offered quietly. “Maybe we’ve been wrong about him. Maybe he really was upset at first when he said he didn’t want Charlie but then changed his mind.”

Steve considered that briefly then shook his head.

“I don’t know. I only met the man today, but I don’t trust him. Look at the way he behaved at the funeral and the gathering afterwards. It was obvious he was sorry about his brother, but he barely looked at Charlie, seemed annoyed by him mostly.”

“That could be because he’s just not comfortable with children,” Danny argued although he didn’t entirely believe what he was saying.

“I still want to dig around,” Steve said. “Mrs. Ahulani said his eyes lit up when he read the will. For some reason the money matters to him. I want to find out why that is.”

**********

“What are you playing at anyway?”

Even from 4,500 miles away Allan Edwards could hear the suspicious and censorious tone in his wife’s voice. It was late afternoon in Hawaii. The funeral had finished an hour ago and after putting it off for two days, it was time to break the news to his wife that she was about to become a reluctant mother.

“We decided we don’t want to adopt Charles and now we’re adopting him?” Michelle Edwards continued. “Just like that you make the decision without even discussing it with me.”

Allan sat back against the headboard of the hotel room’s king size bed and shoved some pillows behind his back until he was comfortable. This conversation could take a while.

“I know we agreed but…well I took one look at the little fellow and my heart melted.”

“Well, that’s lovely, Allan,” Michelle replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I’m the one who’s going to have to take care of him and change diapers and clean up vomit. I’m not exactly Mary Fucking Poppins.”

“I’ll help out too, Shell. And if he proves to be a problem we’ll hire a nanny or something.”

“Why don’t you just leave him there? Rachel’s ex-husband sounds like he loves him and is taking good care of him.”

Allan’s heart leapt in his chest. For this to work he had to convince Michelle that he wanted the child.

“He’s my brother’s son. I feel it’s my duty to raise him. That’s what Stan asked me to do.”

“And I told you at the time to tell him no! Neither of us wants children. Why the hell did you agree?”

Allan climbed up off the bed and began pacing the hotel room nervously.

“What was I supposed to say, Shell? My brother would think I was a selfish asshole if I told him no. Besides, I never thought both of Charles’ parents would die. I figured we’d never have to do it.”

“And you needed to ask for a loan so you decided to butter him up,” Michelle Edwards snapped back angrily.

“We both needed that loan! The business would have gone under without it.”

Allan heard his wife sigh across the phone line. 

“I just don’t know about you sometimes, Allan,” she finally announced. “Lies seem to come tripping off your lips so easily.”

“That’s not true!”

“Really? Then why the hell did you tell the people there that I was pregnant?”

Allan paused in his pacing and swallowed heavily. 

“I don’t know, I…I needed an excuse for not taking the kid when they called out of the blue like that.”

“Yes well, next time you need an excuse kindly don’t drag me into it.”

“I’m sorry, Shell.”

“Yeah, you’re always sorry. “ 

Michelle paused again obviously taking the time to tamp down her annoyance.

“When are you going to be back?”

“Hopefully the kid and I can catch a flight out on Tuesday, assuming the judge makes the decision tomorrow without much fuss. I’ll pack up a few of the kid’s things, clothes and stuff, but the rest I’ll have put into storage until it can be sold off.”

“I don’t know how you can be so cold blooded about your own brother and sister-in-law. They died and you don’t seem bothered by it.”

“That’s not true! I loved Stan, you know that. But someone has to take charge and figure things out. It’s what he would expect of me.”

“I wish I could believe you Allan. I think you’re hiding something from me.”

“I’m not, Shell, really. I’m just, I’m trying to do the right thing here.”

Allan heard a little huff of air over the phone and it was obvious his wife didn’t believe him. He didn’t care really. As long as he got Charlie and therefore the money, she would never have to know the truth.

“We’ll talk about all of this when you get home,” said Michelle, obviously anxious to end the conversation. And you’d better give some thought about what you’re going to do with that boy.”

The line went quiet and Allan knew his wife had hung up on him. He hit the disconnect button and blew out a relieved breath. So far, so good.

**********

Steve crawled into the bed beside Danny and settled himself carefully so their bodies weren’t touching. He had promised Danny days ago they would take things slow and he didn’t want to fuck that up by pouncing on his partner, despite an almost overwhelming desire to do so. But Danny ended his friend’s internal struggle when he rolled on top of his partner pressing his mouth to Steve’s with a wet, determined kiss.

“Danny,” Steve sighed clutching the smaller man by the biceps and holding him close.

“I need you, Steve,” Danny repeated his plea from earlier in the day. “I need you with me, touching me. I need you to take me out of my head. To forget everything, just for a moment.”

Steve licked his lips hungrily and smiled up at his partner. 

“I’ll take care of you, Danno.”

Without hesitation, Steve flipped them over so he was now lying across Danny’s body feeling his partner’s cock swelling against his thigh. Steve took Danny’s mouth with his, tracing his partner’s lips with his tongue before gently probing for entrance to Danny’s mouth. The blond man opened willingly and the two explored each other’s mouths hungrily as Steve’s hand roamed up and down Danny’s body. Steve pulled away gently and began pressing kisses into Danny’s chin, jaw, neck and slowly down his chest stopping only to suck and nip at one firm nipple, then the other.

Danny moaned as his hips jerked involuntarily.

Steve smiled at that reaction and slowly slid down the bed mapping Danny’s torso with his lips and tongue. He shifted so that he was lying between Danny’s spread legs, his feet hanging off the end of the bed. Steve hovered over Danny’s hardening cock, his hot breath teasing Danny until he squirmed and thrust his hips up towards Steve’s mouth. 

“Please…babe. Please,” Danny whimpered. 

Steve waited patiently until Danny lifted his head and looked down his body to meet his gaze. Keeping his eyes locked on Danny’s, Steve wrapped his hand around the base of Danny’s cock and lowered his mouth down onto the thick shaft, his tongue swirling around the engorged head. Danny muffled a shout at the sensation of Steve’s hot, wet mouth on him, a mouth that had played a starring role in his fantasies for five years.

Steve used his fist to slowly pump Danny’s shaft as he ran the flat of his tongue up and around the hard cock teasing the slit with just the tip of his tongue.

“Oh God,” Danny whispered brokenly as he dug his fingers into Steve’s hair in a grasp that was just short of being painful. Steve dipped his hand to begin caressing Danny’s balls as he swallowed Danny’s cock as deeply as he could, the gentle suction causing Danny to moan loudly. 

The blond haired man grabbed a pillow and bit down on the corner to muffle the sounds he couldn’t control. All he needed right now was a inquisitive child walking in on them. Steve tightened his lips around Danny’s cock and began bobbing his head up and down the shaft, almost pulling off at the tip then swallowing down to the base once again. The combination of Steve’s wet, hot mouth, the slight sensation of teeth and firm suction was speeding Danny towards his inevitable release.

“Steve,” he gasped, pulling the pillow away from his mouth momentarily. “Steve, I’m gonna…”

Danny felt Steve smile as he increased the suction on Danny’s cock, his hand still massaging his balls.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut and stuffed the pillow against his face once more as he cried out, his body jerking with spasms, his come shooting in rhythmic spurts down Steve’s throat. As the last of the spasms died away, Danny melted into the mattress, his body drained dry and his brain blessedly blank for several long moments. 

Steve scrambled to his knees, his own hard, weeping cock desperate for relief. He began jerking off almost wildly, knowing he wouldn’t last long after the show Danny had just put on. He bit down a cry as he spurted hot and wild, his come splattering Danny’s torso and chest, marking his new lover as Steve’s forever.

As his orgasm faded, the dark haired man flopped down next to Danny, his hand splaying on his lover’s furry torso. Steve rubbed his come into Danny’s damp skin and smiled to himself.

“Mine,” he murmured softly.

“Gross,” Danny replied, using a corner of the sheet to wipe his stomach and Steve’s hand clean. Danny curled on his side and Steve rolled over to face him, their heads only inches apart.

“I always knew you’d be a possessive Neanderthal,” Danny grumbled fondly.

Steve grinned with his usual self-satisfied smile.

“Are you complaining, Danno?”

Danny snorted and shook his head sliding closer to Steve and wrapping his free arm around the SEAL’s hard muscled body. The two tangled their legs together as Steve burrowed his hand under Danny’s body and pulled the smaller man tight against him.

“No complaints, babe. No complaints whatsoever.”

 

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

The judge picked up and read the papers on his desk once again while the spectators in the court room shifted nervously. Danny and Steve, dressed in suits and ties, sat on either side of Grace in the front row of the court room while Chin, Lou and Kono sat directly behind them. Allan Edwards sat on the benches on the other side of the aisle. He wore an expensive, bespoke suit and lounged on the bench with a look of supreme confidence.

Charlie was in a small room in the courthouse with Kamekona who had agreed to watch over the child for the length of the proceedings. Mrs. Ahulani had warned Danny that if the judge found for Allan Edwards today, the little boy would have to be handed over immediately. Danny literally felt sick to his stomach at the idea, and judging from how pale and quiet Grace was, he knew she felt the same way.

The lawyers for both sides had made passionate arguments on behalf of their clients and the judge had listened carefully trying to determine the best course of action.

Judge Oshry sighed and looked up at the court room spectators again.

“This is a sad case. The tragic loss of a couple in the prime of their lives leaving two young, grieving children behind. Even sadder is the idea that these children might have to be separated, but I regret to say that I’m not sure I see a way around it.”

Judge Oshry glanced at Danny who seemed to sink into himself at the judge’s words while his daughter’s bottom lip began trembling and she leaned closer to her father. He cast his eyes across the court room to Allan Edwards who smiled smugly like he’d already won the case. The judge hadn’t cared for Edwards from the moment the man had walked into his chambers four days ago, but there didn’t appear to be any defensible reason to deny him custody of the minor child as detailed in the will of Rachel and Stanley Edwards. 

It was strange though. When Allan Edwards first walked into his chambers the judge got the feeling he really didn’t want his nephew. Then, after reading the will, the man quickly changed his mind. That was a red flag for Judge Oshry, but just because Edwards was happy to be getting money for the care of Charlie didn’t mean he was going to be a bad parent for the boy. Still, he wanted to be sure.

“I’d like to hear from the two petitioners personally. Mr. Edwards would you like to say anything?”

Allan stood up and smoothed down the front of his suit. He cast a withering glance to Danny and the rest of the team before facing the judge again.

“Your Honour, my brother asked me to take Charlie if anything happened to him and his wife because he trusted me. He knew I’d do my best to look after the boy and make sure he was well provided for. I can tell you my wife is very excited to have Charles come and live with us. I know I said I didn’t want Charles at first but, like my lawyer explained, that was just because I was upset and shocked at my brother’s untimely death and I wasn’t thinking straight. I hope you won’t hold that against me.”

Allan looked over at Danny again, suppressing a smug smile, then turned back to the judge.

“I’m grateful to Mr. Williams for taking care of Charles, and I know he cares for the boy, but between the two of us, I’m obviously in a much better position to provide a stable, traditional, two parent home for Charles.”

Allan gave a satisfied nod as if happy with his words then sat down.

Judge Oshry looked over at Danny.

“Detective Williams would you like to say anything?”

Danny nervously rose to his feet. He feared everything was hanging on this moment, and he was terrified he would say or do the wrong thing. He knew he had to speak calmly and not get overly emotional.

“Yes sir. Your Honour, I don’t deny that Rachel and Stan originally left Charlie to Mr. Edwards’ care, but I believe they would change their minds if they could see the situation now. Charlie is happy living with me and his sister Grace. He adores his sister and she adores him. I don’t think it’s right that they be separated after having lost their mother and in Charlie’s case, his father. I was there when Charlie was born. I coached my ex-wife through the labour and the C-section. I’ve known Charlie all his life. Mr. Edwards has met him once. All Charlie has ever known is Hawaii. He has friends here and an Ohana that loves him,” Danny gestured to the friends gathered around him. “I think it would be very wrong to wrench Charlie away from the only home and family he’s ever known to take him 5,000 miles away to live with complete strangers.”

Judge Oshry gave Danny, and especially Grace, a sympathetic look.

“You must see the issue that I’m faced with detective. It’s not just that Rachel and Stanley Edwards appointed Allan Edwards as guardian to Charles. There are also the issues of your job and the fact that you are a single parent. That in itself is not a reason to deny you custody, but being a single man on your own with the job you have adds a new level of challenge when it comes to raising two children.”

Danny began to speak again when Steve suddenly bolted to his feet and spoke up loudly.

“That’s not correct, Your Honour.”

The judge raised his eyebrows in disapproval at Steve’s sudden interruption.

“Commander McGarrett?”

“It’s not true that Danny is a single man. He’s not. He and I are together and we’re planning on moving in together. We’ve been talking about marriage.”

The courtroom was suddenly plunged into silence and everyone stared at Steve in open-mouthed shock – especially Danny.

“Oh?” Judge Oshry replied a bit skeptically. “I hadn’t heard anything about that and I see no mention of it in the reports placed in front of me.”

The judge looked to the back of the court room where Mrs. Ahulani sat by herself watching the proceedings avidly.

“Mrs. Ahulani? You’re the case worker on this file. Were you aware that Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams were involved in a romantic relationship and were considering marriage?”

Mrs. Ahulani rose slowly to her feet and stared at Steve and Danny for a long moment before looking back at the judge. She licked her bottom lip nervously.

“Not exactly, Your Honour. I…felt that a relationship existed between the two men but it was never confirmed to me.”

Steve spun around and faced the judge again.

“We didn’t tell Mrs. Ahulani, judge. We weren’t trying to keep anything from her, we just…we haven’t told anyone but close friends and family.”

Steve turned to glance back at his team who all smiled and nodded firmly having successful wiped the looks of shock off their faces. Grace was grinning happily up at both men. Steve returned his attention to the bench.

“It’s difficult in our jobs to be open about our relationship. We never know when someone is going to use the information against us. But I just wanted you to know that Danny won’t be alone in raising Grace and Charlie, and between us we can more than provide for anything they might require.”

Judge Oshry turned a skeptical eye onto Danny. He hadn’t missed the look of shock on the blond man’s face when Commander McGarrett stood up and announced their future plans.

“Detective, anything to add?”

Danny looked up at Steve for a long moment then back at the judge.

“Umm…we ahh…Steve and I are together and…he will be helping me raise Grace and Charlie if you let our family stay together.”

Steve could hear a phone vibrating and glanced over his shoulder to see Lou hurrying out of the court room. He turned back to face the judge who was obviously considering this new turn of events. After a long moment the judge blew out a tired sigh and spoke again.

“I have to say that I’m reluctant to go against the express wishes of Stanley and Rachel Edwards as regards the minor child Charles Edwards. However, Mr. Williams does make some excellent points and I feel I must give his argument due consideration. Therefore I’m going to adjourn this hearing and we will reconvene tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.”

The judge stood and began gathering up the papers on his desk when Allan Edwards shot to his feet. 

“Your Honour, I have a flight booked for tomorrow at 11 a.m. I’m going to miss it if you don’t make your decision today.”

The judge gave Edwards a cold look.

“That’s unfortunate Mr. Edwards but we’re talking about the future of a small boy here and I won’t be rushed into anything. You’ll just have to reschedule your flight. If you need a note for the airline see my clerk.”

Judge Oshry climbed down from the bench and strode from the room leaving everyone feeling wrung out and a bit shell-shocked.

Danny turned to Steve and glared at his partner.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he hissed quietly. “You can’t just lie to the judge like that.”

Steve shrugged with a distinct lack of concern.

“I don’t consider it lying, Danno. We know we love each other. We will be together forever. Marriage is inevitable. I may have just jumped ahead a little.”

“You sure as hell did, Steven.” Danny muttered as he ushered Grace out of the courtroom in front of him. “We will be discussing this at home.” 

“Aren’t you and Steve getting married Danno?” Grace asked disappointedly.

“Baby I…Steve and I do love each other but we just…” Danny’s bit off his words as Allan Edwards stormed by him giving him an angry glare before hurrying down the hall towards the staircase.

Danny squeezed Grace’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s get your brother and we’ll talk about his at home.”

As father and daughter made their way down the hall to collect Charlie and Kamekona, Lou sidled up beside Steve and tapped him on the arm.

“We need to talk.”

Steve looked over at the bigger man hopefully.

“You have something?”

Lou nodded and inclined his head towards the exit.

“I think we should meet back at Danny’s place.”

Steve nodded. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up that whatever Lou discovered might be the answer for them, but he couldn’t quell the frisson of excitement in his belly.

**********

Lou turned the iPad so his teammates could see the screen. The group was gathered in Danny’s living room anxious to hear what he had to say. Grace had reluctantly agreed to take Charlie upstairs and keep him entertained after receiving a firm promise that her dad would tell her what was going on later.

“Meet Yvgeny Fyodorov,” Lou began showing the face of a ruggedly handsome man in his late 40’s with a square jaw and thick eyebrows. “Born and raised in Moscow. Immigrated to the United States and moved to Pittsburgh 25 years ago when he was 22. Since then Mr. Fyodorov has become a mover and shaker in the very small but increasingly powerful Russian mob in his adopted home town. Gambling, loan sharking, prostitution, drugs; he’s an entrepreneurial criminal who tries his hand at everything. Because of his success in his endeavours, he’s part of a large scale racketeering investigation being carried out by the Pittsburgh PD and the FBI.”

“I assume there’s a connection with Allan Edwards?” Danny questioned.

Lou nodded.

“According to my friend Detective Joanne Lee who has contacts within the Pittsburgh PD, Allan Edwards has a bit of a gambling problem and owes Mr. Fyodorov somewhere in excess of $450,000.”

“Whew,” Danny blew out a long breath and sat back on the couch with a thump. The pieces were all starting to fit together, except…

“I still don’t get it. Allan Edwards is rich. According to Kono his business is starting to do well again. Surely he would be able to pay off Fyodorov if he just sold some of his property?”

“Maybe not,” Kono piped up from the recliner she was curled up on. “Allan Edwards’ company is owned in partnership with Michelle Edwards, his wife. From what I’ve learned she keeps a pretty tight rein on everything. He could probably peel off a few thousand here and there to gamble with, but he wouldn’t easily be able to sell off property or assets of that value without her wondering where the money has gone.”

“There’s more,” Lou interjected. “Detective Lee said the phone taps and tails put on Fyodorov appear to show that Allan Edwards is trying to work off his debt by…assisting with Mr. Fyodorov’s enterprises.”

“Assist how?” Steve asked.

“It’s not certain, but they think he’s helping Fyodorov find partners for his illegal business ventures, possibly passing along bribes to city zoning officials and maybe even laundering money.”

“That’s it then,” Steve barked, thumping his fist on the coffee table. “We present this information to the judge and there’s no way he allows Charlie anywhere near Allan Edwards.”

Lou gave his boss a regretful look.

“It’s not that easy, Steve. The investigation against Fyodorov is ongoing and at a sensitive stage. If the PPD admits to their suspicions of Edwards it would jeopardize their case. They aren’t willing to take that risk.”

“Oh Jesus,” Danny moaned fisting his hands on his lap. “Do they know what’s at stake here? That a little boy’s life could be ruined?”

Lou sighed heavily and nodded.

“They do, Danny. I explained it to them. I pleaded on Charlie’s behalf. They’re sympathetic, but there’s nothing they can do. If Fyodorov gets wind of the investigation he’ll be gone, and he’s too dangerous to be allowed to slip through their fingers.”

“So we’re fucked!” Danny shouted, bolting to his feet and pacing the room angrily.

The entire room was quiet as each team member pondered what they heard and tried to figure out where they could go from here.

“There may be one possibility,” Steve offered quietly.

Danny spun around to stare at Steve hopefully.

“What? What are you thinking?”

Steve lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug.

“We give him the money he wants.”

Danny stared at his boyfriend as if he were insane then threw up his hands in disgust.

“Really, Steven? That’s your answer? We hand over $450,000 to the man?”

“Yes?” Steve replied with annoying calm.

Danny dug his hands into his pants pockets and pulled the lining out to show they were empty.

“I don’t know about you – maybe you’re a rich eccentric or something – but I don’t have $450,000. If I sold everything I own I wouldn’t have $450,000!”

Steve gave his partner an enigmatic smile.

“Don’t worry, Danno. What I have in mind won’t cost you a thing.”

 

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Allan Edwards was surprised to hear a knock on his hotel room door just after 9:30 that same night. The room service people had delivered his food earlier in the evening and had returned to take his tray 30 minutes ago. 

Edwards walked over to the hotel room door and peered through the peep hole to see a handsome Asian man on the other side. He recognized him from somewhere. In the court house maybe. Probably the head of some Asian gang on trial for murder.

“Who is it?” Allan called out.

“Chin Ho Kelly. I’m a friend of Danny Williams.”

Allan leaned momentarily against the door. He remembered now seeing Kelly with Williams and knew the man was a cop. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a crooked cop coming here to get revenge for Williams.

“I want to talk to you, Mr. Edwards,” Chin’s voice came through the door. “I have a business proposition for you.”

Edwards chewed on his bottom lip contemplatively for a moment. Part of him was afraid to open the door in case Kelly was a Japanese hit man or something. The other part was curious to see what the man wanted. He reached down and unlocked the hotel room door and pulled it open.

“Come in.”

Chin slipped through the open door and Edwards gestured for him to take a seat on a couch in the sitting area of his suite. He sat in a chair opposite.

“If you’re here to threaten me…”

“I’m not here to threaten you, Mr. Edwards,” Chin replied calmly, his face a blank mask that gave nothing away. He seemed harmless enough. “I’m here to make an offer that I think will serve everyone’s best interests – especially Charlie’s.”

Edwards crossed his arms on his chest and lifted his chin in a show of false bravado.

“I’m listening.”

Chin dug into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of white paper. 

“This is the number for a private bank account we’ve set up for you in Pittsburgh. Tomorrow we will wire $500,000 to that account if you tell the judge you are willing to give up guardianship of Charlie and any claim to him in the future.”

Edwards stared open-mouthed at Chin for a long moment before his eyes drifted to the paper.

“You’re offering me a bribe?”

Chin made a dismissive noise and sat back on the couch comfortably.

“We don’t consider it a bribe. We consider it a business transaction. You don’t want to adopt Charlie because you love him, you want to adopt him for the money your brother left to manage his care. We are simply offering you another way to get that money.”

Edwards laughed a bit too loudly.

“You realize I’m a wealthy man. A half million dollars really isn’t that big a deal.”

Chin placed the paper on the arm of the couch and crossed one leg over the other, folding his hands on his lap.

“That would normally be true, but we’ve learned you’ve had some financial problems lately and this money would come in handy.”

Edwards shrugged and shook his head.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yvgeny Fyodorov would know what I’m talking about, wouldn’t he?”

Edwards’ face blanched and he swallowed thickly several times. Chin could hear his breathing speeding up.

“I don’t…what are you…?”

“Let’s stop playing games shall we, Mr. Edwards? You owe Yvgeny Fyodorov $450,000 in gambling debts. You have no way of liquidating assets to pay those debts without making your wife suspicious. I’ve been a cop a long time Mr. Edwards. Guys like Yvgeny Fyodorov are not known for their patience or their generosity. No matter what you do for him, no matter what favours you carry out, your debt will never be paid off, it will just keep growing. We’re giving you the chance to pay it back outright and even have $50,000 left over for a little mad money to spend at the craps tables in Atlantic City. You’ll be able to return to your life, without being burdened with a child you don’t want. No one will ever know the trouble you were in.”

Chin sat forward on the couch and picked up the piece of paper holding aloft.

“Take the money and your problems go away. Turn it down and they’ve just begun.”

Edwards licked his lips nervously.

“Oh? What, you’ll beat me up or something?”

Chin shook his head slowly.

“I don’t have to beat you up to hurt you Mr. Edwards. I have lots of legal ways to fuck up your life. Maybe Mrs. Edwards hears rumours about your gambling debts. Maybe Yvgeny Fyodorov gets wind that you’re thinking of skipping town without paying your debt. Maybe the PPD suddenly gets information about some of your less…conventional business endeavours. You know the dangers of idle gossip.”

Edwards stared at the paper held between Chin’s index finger and thumb as it fluttered in the light breeze caused by the ceiling fan just over their heads. The look of barely contained greed in his eyes made Chin’s stomach turn.

“So…I take the money and leave the kid in the hands of the two fags and that’s the end of it?”

Edwards’ eyes widened as he watched the Asian man’s face harden in barely suppressed rage. Allan shrank back in fear. Suddenly Kelly didn’t seem as placid as he’d allowed himself to believe.

“Tread carefully, Mr. Edwards," Chin growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You’re walking on a razor’s edge as it is. Take the money, go back to Pittsburgh, pay off your gambling debt and resume your life. Leave Charlie here with people who love him and will care for him.”

Edwards sat quietly for a long moment mulling over his options. He took in a deep breath and met Chin’s eyes.

“What do I have to do?”

Chin suppressed a small smile.

“Tomorrow you go into court and tell Judge Oshry you no longer want Charlie. Make up whatever bullshit story you have to, I don’t care. Within an hour $500,000 will be transferred into this account and you will never see or speak to your nephew again or have any contact with Danny Williams or any other member of Five-0. Do we have a deal?”

Chin glared at the other man, his expression hard and dangerous. Edwards shifted nervously in his seat.

“What happens if I renege on the deal? What happens if I come back in a month asking for custody again?”

Chin leaned forward and gave the other man a cold smile.

“Then we destroy you, or worse. Believe me Mr. Edwards when I tell you the last thing you want in the world is to face down an angry Jersey detective and a pissed off Navy SEAL. Now, do we have a deal?”

Edwards paused for only a moment.

“Deal.”

**********

Judge Oshry sat down behind the bench and gestured for the courtroom spectators to be seated as well. He gave them a moment to settle themselves before beginning to speak.

“First case up is the guardianship of the minor child Charles William Edwards. Before I render my decision I’m told you want to address the court, Mr. Edwards?”

Allan glanced over at Danny, Steve and the rest of the Ohana then rose to his feet. Danny watched him carefully, his stomach in a knot, wondering if Edwards would keep his end of the deal.

“Yes, Your Honour. It’s difficult for me to say this but last night I did quite a bit of soul searching and, after speaking to my wife, I’ve decided to cancel my application to be confirmed as Charles’ guardian. Charlie has a family here that loves him. He’s happy and contented and I don’t think it would be right to take him away.”

Edwards looked up at the judge with wide, slightly moist eyes as if pleading with him to understand his great sacrifice. Danny had to admit the man was a talented liar.

Judge Oshry blinked in surprise.

“This is rather sudden, Mr. Edwards. Are you sure about this?” The judge glanced pointedly at Steve before looking back to Allan. “You haven’t been pressured to withdraw your application for guardianship I hope?”

Allan shook his head.

“No, Your Honour. I made this decision of my own free will with the input of my wife. No one pressured me. I feel it’s the best thing for little Charlie.”

Judge Oshry sat back in his chair and observed Allan Edwards for a long moment. He was stunned and a bit suspicious of this sudden change of heart. Finally he shrugged slightly. 

“Very well, your application is withdrawn.”

The judge turned his attention to Danny.

“Mr. Williams, I expect you’ll be petitioning the court to become Charlie’s permanent legal guardian?”

Danny all but jumped to his feet, his hands clasped in front of him nervously.

“Yes, Your Honour. I am hoping to become his permanent guardian and then when he is older, and if Charlie agrees, Commander McGarrett and I would like to explore the possibility of adopting him.”

Steve couldn’t help the huge grin that Danny’s words prompted in him. They had never discussed adopting Charlie as a couple but it was a clear statement from Danny that their relationship was forever.

Judge Oshry nodded.

“Very well, I’ll extend your temporary guardianship for three months while you make your application for it to be permanent. It’s not an easy process Mr. Williams. Some people find it quite onerous and invasive. The Child Welfare people take a pretty close look at your life and your home situation.”

Judge Oshry smiled warmly.

“But I don’t think you and your partner will have much problem. Mrs. Ahulani reports that Charlie is very happy and well cared for with you, and I feel confident you will give him a good life.”

Danny pressed his lips together and closed his eyes for a moment against threatening tears. He opened them and looked gratefully at the judge.

“Thank you, Your Honour,” he replied softly.

Judge Oshry nodded and called for the next case as Steve and Grace stood and hugged Danny tightly.

“We won, Danno!” Grace laughed happily. “We get to keep Charlie forever!”

Danny grinned down at her.

“We still have a few hoops to jump through Monkey but yes, I think we will get to keep him forever.”

Danny turned to Steve and wrapped his hand around his boyfriend’s neck pulling him down for a solid but tame kiss.

“Thank you, babe. You made this happen.”

“We made this happen, Danno. The Ohana.”

**********

Kono walked down the beach to where the new little family of Danny, Steve, Grace and Charlie were playing in the water behind Steve’s house. Grace was shrieking with excitement as Steve picked her up and threw her into the waves while Danny bobbed around with Charlie in his arms, the little boy kicking his legs happily and grinning from ear-to-ear.

Danny looked up and spied Kono on the beach and waved to her. He and Steve had a quick word then climbed out of the water, Danny still carrying Charlie.

“Grace, I’ll be right back, ok?” Steve called to the little girl who was still frolicking in the waves. “Stay close to shore.”

Grace rolled her eyes at her overprotective uncle but nodded.

“I will.”

Danny threw Steve a towel and wrapped one around Charlie sitting down with the boy onto one of the Adirondack chairs, Charlie snuggling against him. Kono sat on the chair next to Danny and Steve perched on the arm of Danny’s chair so he could keep an eye on Grace.

“How did it go?” Steve questioned.

“Fine,” the young Hawaiian officer replied with a smile. “The money was transferred without any problem. Thanks to the devious mind and computerized brain of one Jerry Ortega, half a million dollars was mysteriously withdrawn from one of Yvgeny Fyodorov’s bank accounts and sent to the account we set up for Allan Edwards.”

“You’re sure they can’t trace the transaction or the bank account to us?” Danny asked worriedly.

Kono shook her head firmly.

“No way. Jerry made sure to cover his trail. No one will ever know we were involved except possibly Edwards someday, but he can’t prove anything.”

“Besides, when the Pittsburgh PD stumble over the payment to Edwards from Fyodorov during the course of their investigation, they’ll have the evidence they need that Allan Edwards is working for the Russian mob,” Steve interjected with a satisfied smile.

Kono nodded in mock regret.

“I’m afraid so. It probably won’t end well for him. He’ll be looking at a lengthy prison term.”

Danny let out a breath he felt he’d been holding for a week and relaxed into the chair smiling gratefully at the Hawaiian officer.

“Thank you, Kono. And thank Jerry for us. We owe him a big one.”

Kono wrinkled her nose and glared at Danny.

“If anyone is owed a big one it’s me! Do you know what I had to do to get him to help? Promise to go with him to the next Star Wars convention in Las Vegas dressed as…” Kono let out a disgusted sigh “...as Princess Leia.”

**********

Danny opened the door of Mary’s old bedroom as Steve kept one hand over Charlie’s eyes. Danny, Grace and Charlie were due to move in to Steve’s house over the weekend and the Ohana had worked hard to prepare the bedrooms of both children. Grace was currently reveling in her purple and orange bedroom with the bead curtains and disco ball that Kono knew she’d love, but that made Danny’s eyes hurt. Now it was Charlie’s turn for the big reveal.

“Ready?” Danny asked the little boy.

The little boy nodded his head excitedly and Steve dropped his hand away to let Charlie see his brand new bedroom for the first time.

“Surprise!” Steve yelled as he set a happy, wriggling Charlie down on his feet to explore the fantasy world they’d created. 

The room had become an underwater paradise. The walls were dark blue at the base gradually lightening to a pale blue at the top as if one were rising up through the water towards the sunlight. On the ceiling Danny had painted the bottom of a boat, water rippling around it, with a fishing rod hanging over the side. The fishing line became the wire of the starfish light fixture on the ceiling. On the walls were a variety of multi-coloured, glow-in-the-dark fish (each indigenous to the waters around Hawaii – Steve had insisted on accuracy to make the room educational as well as fun - as well as dolphins, sea turtles and the tail of a large humpback whale swimming away. The floor was sand-coloured carpet and there was a seashell encrusted lamp on the bedside table.

Charlie stood in the middle of the room turning slowly and staring wide-eyed at the magical display.

“Ocean,” he whispered reverently.

“That’s right, buddy,” Steve replied, kneeling down next to him and placing an arm lightly around his tiny shoulders. “Every night you can sleep under the sea.”

“My room?” Charlie asked, look over at Steve and then up at Danny hopefully.

“All yours, baby,” Danny replied with a smile. “You’ll live here with Grace and Uncle Danno and Uncle Steve forever.”

“I like ocean!” Charlie cheered happily as he scrambled up onto his bed, with its duvet covered in cartoon sea creatures, so that he could get closer to the ceiling hoping to peer into the boat.

Steve stood up and moved to stand next to Danny. The two men wrapped an arm around each other and Danny laid his head on his fiancé’s shoulder. 

“This is it, babe. A ready-made family. Could you have imagined this even a month ago?”

Steve kissed his lover on the temple and rested his head on top of Danny’s.

“Not in my wildest dreams, Danno. It’s more than I ever hoped for.”

Danny wrapped his free arm around Steve and hugged him close.

“I hope Rachel and Stan approve. It’s not what they wanted for Charlie, but I hope they can rest easy knowing he’s loved and cherished.”

“I think they would be thrilled, Danno. Stan obviously never knew who his brother really was.”

Danny leaned against Steve for another moment then finally straightened up and pulled away walking over to the bed to grab Charlie who was jumping on the mattress.

“Come on Captain Nemo, let’s get dinner started.”

Charlie jumped down off the bed, took Danny’s hand and looked up at him quizzically as they walked out of the room with Steve following behind.

“I not Memo. I Charlie Ewars.”

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support and wonderful comments through the posting of this story. They really meant a lot to me and gave me the push I need to continue. A lot of you had ideas about how it would end so I hope this doesn't disappoint.
> 
> The story is quite different from what I originally envisioned. I was going to have Steve sell his own assets and cash in his 401K (that's what retirement plans are called in the States aren't they?) to pay off Allan Edwards but then Edwards became such a creep through the writing of this I decided he needed to be punished.
> 
> This is officially the longest story I've written and I really enjoyed it.


End file.
